AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. February 07. Part 1)

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SrI:

SrImate ra’ngarAmAnuja mahAdeSikAya nama:

SrImate SrInivAsa rAmAnuja mahAdeSikAya nama:

SrImate vedAnta rAmAnuja mahAdeSikAya nama:

SrI ra’nganAtha divya maNi pAdukAbhyAm nama:

SrI ra’ngarAmAnuja mahAdeSika divya pAdukAbhyAm nama:

 

AcArya rAmAmRtam - (from SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA dt. February 07. Part 1)

 

Translation of

SrImad rAmAyaNa upanyAsam in tamizh by SrImad tirukkuDandai ANDavan

 

As published in SrI ra’nganAtha pAdukA by

SrI u.ve. nATTEri kiDAmbi rAjagopAlAcAriyAr (Editor of SrI ra’nganAtha

pAdukA)

 

SrImad ANDavan tiruvaDi,

kalyANi kRshNamAcAri

=====================================

kam ca te paramam kAmam karomi kimu harshita: |

pAtrabhUto’si me brahman! dishTyA prApto’si

mAnada! || (bAla. 18.51)

 

“I do not know the thoughts that you have in your great mind. Whatever great

expectations you have of me, if you order me, I am ready to do it, svAmi!”

karomi kimu harshita: | “I will do it with great happiness. I will not do it

thinking it is my fate. I will not do it thinking – oh no, what can I do now?

He has asked me like this. I will do it happily”. pAtrabhUto’si me brahman –

because it has been said that it is special to give anything to a deserving

person. “Who is more deserving than you”?

 

deSe kAle ca pAtre ca tad dAnam sAtvikam smRtam – perumAL says in bhagavat

gItai (17.20). Charity should be given in a good place; it should be given in

a good time. It should be given to the right person.

 

A person said he wants to give two annas. He says he will give it if a

deserving svAmi is available. That too, he wants to give it to a person who

has done veda adhyayanam and can describe the special meanings, varNa kramam

etc. He has heard in upanyAsam - deSe kAle ca pAtre ca – so, he wants to give

according to those instructions. But he is not ready to give right now. He

will give in ardhodayam; ardhodaya puNya kAlam is coming; he said he would give

at that time.

 

ardhodayam comes once in twenty years. ardhodayam comes in the month of tai

[mid January to mid February], Sunday, during sunrise time when SravaNa star is

in ascendance on a full moon day. He says he will give in that ardhodayam.

“The upanyAsakar himself said that it should not be given now”. It is not like

that. When we get the right person to give to, that itself is an auspicious

time. It is because it is good time for us that we get a deserving, right

person to give to. If it happens to be a good muhUrtam (auspicious time), that

is even more special.

 

In my place, one svAmi started giving. He called the priest. Gift must be

given in a good place. tirukkuDandai is a good place. aippasi tulA month is a

good time. A good pAtram is also specified. deSe kAle ca pAtre ca – so it has

been said. He said he wanted to give in a silver vessel [pAtram means ‘a

deserving person’ in our context, but the svAmi took it to mean ‘a vessel’!].

Since it is said pAtre ca, tat dAnam sAtvikam smRtam. pAtram means right

person. It means a deserving, rightful person. What is meant is that charity

should be offered to those who have done veda adhyayanam. It is special if

donation is given to Srotriya-s (learned brahmaNa-s, well versed in vedams).

There is a Slokam.

 

vedavide kila dattam dattam

priyatamayA saha suptam suptam |

ishTajanai: saha bhuktam bhuktam

anyat adattam aSuptam abhuktam ||

 

Poets express thoughts nicely. It is very special if charity is offered to

Srotriya-s who have done veda adhyayanam. That is when the dAnam attains

eminence. priyatamayA saha suptam suptam – I do not have to tell you the

meaning. You yourself know it. It is about lying down [with a loved one].

ishTajanai: saha bhuktam bhuktam – one should eat with dear ones. One should

not eat alone. bharathan says, “let me attain the sin of eating delicious food

without sharing it with anyone” (if he had had any share in sending rAman to

the forest).

 

When I was in Bangalore, a lady came. She presented a very big winter melon

(“pUshanikkAi” in Tamizh”) and prostrated before me. She said it was grown in

her home and said that only I should take it, no one else. (Laughter in the

audience. AcAryar also laughs). She is saying that with fondness. I told

her, “How can I eat all this?” “I do not know all that! You have to take it”.

“pAtram” means right person; that is what dAnam is.

 

vedavide kila dattam dattam – it is beneficial only if it (charity) is given to

those who have done veda adhyayanam. If it is given to others, it is of no

use.

 

That is what mArkaNDeyar says in mahAbhAratam. dharmaputrar and others have

become poor. They were living in a hermitage. draupadI was there too. kRshNar

came to see them. They were cousin brothers [sons of father’s sister and son

of maternal uncle]; so, He came to see them. One may ask “What for did He

come?” If He had not come, some may say that “He doesn’t care because they

have become poor!” or, “When they ruled kingdoms, He came; now they have

nothing; so He does not come” etc. Some will even try to hurt people when

they are in a weak position. This is not just the nature of human beings only.

devatA-s also have this nature. indran and other devata-s also have this same

nature. How is that?

 

vanyAni dahato vahne: sakhA bhavati mAruta: |

sa eva dIpa nAsAya kRSe kasyA’sti sauhRdam? ||

 

If there is a fire in a big forest, the wind will come to its aid in making

that fire burn even bigger. Even recently, we know that a hundred huts were

gutted down. If some poor people are being burned down by the fire, the wind

will act like a friend to the fire, and will help to burn a few more additional

people. Someone returns home after being out of town. There is no electric

light in the house. If they start lighting the hurricane light, the wind comes

and blows it out. sa eva dIpanAsAya – that same wind [which helped to burn the

people] blows this lamp out. Why? kRSe kasyAsti sauhRdam – who will like a

person who is in a low position? That is what is said. People will say: “When

they had a lot of money, they served food in silver plate and golden plate, and

everyone came and ate. Now, they are ordained to live their lives in the

forest. Who will come now?” That is why I came to see you – said kaNNan. He

had brought satyabhAmai. He will take each wife to a different place. He will

take rukmiNi to some place; He will take satyabhAmai to another place, like

that. He had many wives. He is taking them. He has ashTa laskhmI-s, right?

 

dharmaputrar asks then: “Why are we are all poor now.? Why are we are all in

great difficulty? Everyone looks at us and praises us as followers of the

righteous path. We follow righteousness! (but) We are suffering! People call

duryodhanan evil! They call him wicked, but, he is doing well in the kingdom!

The distinguishing characteristic of dharmam is gone! One who follows the

righteous path should live well. But, he is not. One who is not righteous,

must have a difficult life. But, he is doing well! Hasn’t dharmam lost its

meaning?” mArkaNDeyar says, “dharmam did not lose its distinguishing

characteristic. dharmam is doing fine. Those who are righteous are doing very

well. Only those who do not follow righteousness are not doing well. If you

ask the question, ‘why righteous people like us are suffering?” those who did

wrong acts in previous birth are suffering in this birth; he [duryodhanan] did

not commit wrong acts in his previous birth, so, he is doing very well now.”

 

nA’yAnato yAnam ArohatIha | nA bhUmito bhUmim

Apnoti kaScit |yad yad kAmAn brAhmaNAya pradadyAt ||

 

mArkaNDeyar says – duryodhanan is living well. If you say that he is going in

vAhanam, he rides on a horse, he goes in a palanquin carried by four or eight

people, he goes in a chariot, it is because he has done vAhana dAnam (donated

vehicles) in his previous birth. So, he is going like that – nA’yAnato yAnam

ArohatIha |

 

One who has not given donation of vehicles in his previous birth cannot go in a

vehicle in this birth. All svAmi-s are going in vehicles! Some people say

“This svAmi [fn 1] alone does not agree [to go in a vehicle]”! . If one has

committed sins, one cannot go in a vehicle, right? They [the other svAmi-s]

have donated vehicles in their previous birth! nA’bhUmito bhUmim Apnoti kaScit

– if one has done bhUmi dAnam, gave donation of thousand vEli [a land measure;

1 vEli = 6.74 acres], two thousand vEli-s, ten thousand vEli-s of land, he

will enjoy land in this birth. Only when one does dAnam in this birth, one

will get that in the next birth. Those that have done good deeds, are

enjoying. . dharmam has not lost its value. So said mArkaNDeyar. Someone

may say: “Maybe I should do some dAnam” . It is not enough if dAnam is given

to anybody. That is of no use. yad yad kAmAn brAhmaNAya pradadyAt – it should

be given to only those who have done veda adhyayanam. They should be

knowledgeable in SAstram – says mArkaNDeyar. Very nice Slokam – in bhArata

campU. [daSarathar] has made dAnam like that.

 

kALidAsan got mad at bhojarAjan and left. He was doing this very often. He

will get mad and go and then come back again. He is like [this] svAmi. How

many times does he keep coming back to this city! (srImad ANDavan refers to

himself). I am not going away because I am angry (SrImad ANDavan laughs).

 

kALidAsan has left in anger. The court is not the same without him. If the

other learned people are asked any question, they do not give the right

answers. kALidAsan always replied beautifully. The king gets on a horse and

goes looking for him. kALidAsan is found walking somewhere. It is very sunny.

He is walking with a towel on his head. A bikshu [like a saint] asked for his

sandal: “My feet are getting scorched by the heat. Can you give me your

sandals?” kALidAsan felt sympathy, and gave him his old sandals. His feet are

now burning in the hot sun. He keeps walking. The king comes in a horse. He

asks kALidAsan to come with him. The latter said okay. The king asked him to

get on the horse; there was another one by the side. kALidAsan got on that

horse; both of them rode on the horses side by side. Have you seen two people

riding bicycles side by side? Friends. Like that, they are going. “You left

in anger! You are going in the sun without sandals! Because of me, you got a

horse ride! Why did you get mad at me?” asked the king.

 

“What! You think you came and gave me a vehicle?”

“Yes, I am the one who gave; aren’t you sitting on it?”

“You did not give”.

“jIrNa pAduka dAnena aSvaratnam samAhitam – I gave away an old pair of sandals.

I got a horse in return.”

 

Only if you give, you will get. That too, the receiver must be a rightful

person. deSe kale ca pAtre ca – SAstram has said so.

 

daSarathar said - Oh! Sage viSvAmitra! pAtra bhUto’si brahman! – If I give

you, it will be great for me. You are a great, deserving receiver. I did not

even think I would be blessed with you [as a pAtram]. You came to me, who am

vasishTar’s student. This is unthinkable.

 

adya me saphalam janma! jIvitam ca sujIvitam!

pUrvam rAjarshi Sabdena tapasA dyotitaprabha: ||

brahmarshitvam anuprApta: pUjyo’si bahudhA mayA |

kartA cAham aSesheNa, daivatam hi bhavAn mama ||

(bAla. 18.52-56)

My birth became fulfilled today. First, you were rAja Rshi [a saint who is

also a king – a kshatriya]. Then, you did intense penance and became a brahma

Rshi. If you were a rAja Rshi, you would not accept from me. Only a brahmin

has the right to accept an offering. Only a brahmin has the right to both give

charity and accept charity. kshatriyan can only give dAnam. Like that only a

brahmin can perform yAgam as also officiate as a priest in the performance of

yAgam by others. A kshatriyan can perform yAgam, but the brahmin has to

initiate it. So, if you were a rAja Rshi, you would not accept anything from

me. Now you have come as a brahma Rshi. I have to worship you through many

means. Whatever is in your mind, I shall do so. Because, daivatam he bhavAn

mama – I think of you as God, svAmi!

 

viSvAmitrar himself was surprised. Who will talk like this!

 

sadRSam rAja SArdUla! tavaitat bhuvi nAnyata: |

mahA vamSa prasUtasya vasishTha vyapadeSina: ||

yattu me hRdgatam vAkyam tasya kAryasya

niScayam |

kurushva rAjaSArdUla! bhava satya pratiSrava: ||

(bAla. 19.2)

Nice Slokam! It is rAmAyaNa Slokam! sadRSam rAja SardUla! tavaitat bhuvi

nAnyatA | “There is no one else in this world who will say words like these!

Oh, best of kings! Who, except one from ikshvAku vamSam will say ‘kam ca te

paramam kAmam karomi kimu harshita: |’ as soon as they see someone come? This

vamSam is a great one”.

 

mahA vamSa prasUtasya vasishTha vyapadeSina: | Both are great. If AcAryan is

great, the vamSam may be mediocre. You come from a great pedigree. Even if

vamSam is great, some will have mediocre AcAryan.

vasishTha vyapadeSina: - It is a matter of honor just to be vasishThar’s

student. deSikan says in abhaya pradAna sAram: rAmar was asked what He gained

by taking His incarnation. rAmar responds: – “I got the status of being

vasishTha’s disciple”. vasishTha vyapadeSina: - Isn’t it a matter of pride to

say one is a Sishyan of such and such an AcAryan? So, only you, who are

vasishThar’s disciple, can say like this. yattu me hRdgatam vAkyam tasya

kAryasya niScayam kurushva rAjaSArdUla! viSvAmitrar says, “I have been

thinking of something in my mind. You have to complete that.”

=========

[fn 1] SrImad ANDavan is referring to himself in a joking way.

 

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To be continued …..

 

 

 

 

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